New government figures show Scotland is ‘trailblazing” in nature-friendly farming with organic farmland on the rise for six consecutive years – while growth has flatlined in the rest of the UK.
The latest Defra statistics, covering 2023, show England and Wales are failing to meet demand for organic food and drink where sales have doubled in the last 12 years and grown by nearly 5 per cent in the last year. ***
After a year of many challenges, as farmers dealt with uncertainty over farming policy coupled with the cost-of-living crisis, the English and Welsh statistics contrast with growth across the border. In Scotland fully organic land has increased by 11.8% from 92,500 hectares to 103.5 hectares.
The Soil Association also understands that Scottish Government has seen a surge in applications for support for organic conversion so far in 2024, indicating that farmers are responding to the support on offer, backed up by ambitious targets.
Just 3% of all farmland in England is farmed under organic standards while it has declined by 2% to 4.3% in Wales.
Soil Association Certification Commercial Director Alex Cullen said: “Defra’s latest organic land stats reveal that while Scotland is trailblazing in nature-friendly farming, broadly there is a missed opportunity for British farmers. We are seeing growth in organic sales but this has largely been fuelled by imports not home-grown produce – with growth flatlining in English and Welsh organic farmland.”
“We’ve seen a real buzz and interest in regenerative practices in farming. And as the most recognised and trusted form of regenerative farming with robust and legally enforced standards – organic is the natural choice.”
